1 Claim. (Cl. 119-1) This invention relates in general to the care of animals,

and more particularly to a sanitary sand box for the useY of pets, especially cats.

The usual practice, where animal pets are confined in a house or apartment, is to provide a box or pan containing sandV or other absorbent material. This material becomes very wet with use and develops an offensive odor. Moreover, a cat, for example, will frequently "'ing the material from the pan, due to too energetic pawing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sanitary sand box in which the liquid excreta is stored in a container separate from and out of contact with the sand, so that the latter does not become excessively wet and foul.

Another object is to so construct a device of this character that the sand may be readily washed while in the box, for re-use if desired, and the liquid container easily cleaned.

A still further object of the invention is to devise a sand box having means for restraining the animal from pawing too vigorously, and for thus preventing the sand from being thrown out of the box.

With the above and other objects in view, and to improve generally on the details of such devices, the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the complete box, parts V- being cut away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same; and

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the same, parts being broken away.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my improved box is made up of a pair of separate pans of the same shape and of such relative size that they may be nested together, one inside of the other. Although not essential, the inner pan 1 preferably has a marginal ange la, and the outer pan 2 a marginal llange 2E, and when assembled, the flange 1a rests upon the flange 2a and thus supports the inner pan.

The inner pan is somewhat shallower than the outer one, so that when assembled, the bottom of the inner pan is spaced a substantial distance from the at bottom 2b of the outer pan.

The maior portion of the bottom of the inner pan is cut away, leaving a ange 3 projecting inwardly from 2,971,493 Patented Feb. 14, 1961 the side walls. To this ange 3 is secured the edges of a sheet of woven wire netting or screen 4.

On top of this wire netting is spread a layer 5 of filtering material such as filter sand. The Wire netting or screen should be of a mesh fine enough to substantially prevent the sand from sifting through.- I have found, for example, that a screen having a l2 by 12 mesh, made from wire gauge .025 gives good results, with the usual type of filter sand, such as that commonly sold by building supply dealers. The layer of sand may be from Vs" to 1" or more thick.

The pans themselves may be made of either metal or plastic, but the latter is preferred. The wire screen or netting is advantageously made of aluminum or other rust-proof metal, and, if the pan is made of' plastic, the netting may be vulcanized or heat-sealed to the ange 3.

When the box is used by an animal, the liquid part of the excreta filters through the sand and flows into the space between the wire screen and the bottom of the outer pan, and is stored in this space, out of contact with the sand. The solid part of the excreta, when sufficiently dried, may be removed from time to time by means of a scoop or lifting screen.

A cat has the natural inclination to scratch and paw a bed of sand, but, with my improved device, the cats claws tend to catch in the wire netting and this restrains the animal from excessive pawing, thus preventing the sand from being scattered and thrown out of the box.

Since the liquid lilters directly through the sand, the latter is Wet only in one or more spots, and these may be scooped out, if desired. By removing the inner pan, the liquid contents of the outer pan may be readily dumped, and the pan rinsed out with hot water and a detergent.

Sand is a relatively cheap material, and the entire contents of the inner pan may be discarded at each cleaning, if desired. However, if it is preferred to retain the sand for further use, it may be washed or cleaned by lilling the outer pan with the hot water and detergent to a level suflciently high to cover the bed of sand, and then vigorously stirring the sand. Then it may be rinsed in plain water, and spread out, as on paper, to dry.

A drop or two of any suitable disinfectant placed in the bottom pan will'tend to destroy any offensive odor.

What I claim is: v

A device of the character described comprising upper inner and lower outer pans, each having a dat bottom and an open top, said pans nesting with their sides in substantial contact and being of such relative size and shape, that, when nested, a substantial space is provided between the bottoms thereof, the bottom of said inner pan being formed at least in part of a sheet of woven wire netting permanently secured around its edges to said pan, and a layer of filter sand supported on said netting, the mesh of said netting being sufficiently tine to substantially prevent said sand from sifting through.